15 Key Facts on Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all cancers – just 3-6% of those diagnosed survive for five years.1

During World Pancreatic Cancer Day, 905 people across the globe will die from pancreatic cancer.2

Survival has improved for most cancers over the last 40 years but not for pancreatic cancer.3

Early diagnosis is key: If patients are diagnosed in time for surgery, their chance of surviving 5 years or more increases ten-fold.4

Pancreatic cancer has been underfunded for decades and receives less than 2% of overall cancer research funding.5

Pancreatic cancer is the twelfth most common cancer in the world, with 338,000 new cases diagnosed in 2012.6

Pancreatic cancer is the 7th most common cause of cancer death across the world.7

Pancreatic cancer is more common in developed countries but it is on the rise in developing countries like Africa and India.8

Pancreatic cancer is nearly always diagnosed too late with 80% of pancreatic cancer patients having terminal disease with an average life expectancy of a mere 4-6 months.9

The pancreas lies behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It works to help the body use and store energy from food by producing hormones to control blood sugar levels and digestiveenzymes to break down food.10

Pancreatic cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the pancreas grow out of control, forming a mass of tissue called a tumour.11

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer can be very vague and depend on whether the tumour is in the head, body or tail of the pancreas. Abdominal pain is a symptom in about 70% of pancreatic cancer cases and jaundice (also known as icterus) occurs in about 50% of cases.12